Academic Activity

 
Selected Conference and Seminar Papers (Last Ten Years)

 

  • Victorian Anti-democratic Thought: Arguing about Culture, Science and Merit, ‘Political Thought and Intellectual History Seminar’, University of Cambridge, 1 March 2027.

 

  • The History of English Democracy as a History of Exclusion, ‘History of Political Ideas Seminar’, Institute of Historical Research (London), 14 October 2026.

 

  • Democracy and the Absence of Freethinking in Victorian Political Thought, ‘Freethinking and Democracy in the Nineteenth Century Workshop’, Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of Jyväskylä, 12-13 December 2025.

 

  • English Anti-Democratic Thought in the Long Run. Historiography and History, ‘General History Seminar’, Department of History and Ethnology, University of Jyväskylä, 5 December 2025. 

 

  • Anti-Democratic Discourse in 19th-Century Britain, ‘Democratic and Anti-Democratic Thought in 19th-Century Britain Workshop’, Politics Department, University of Exeter, 3 November 2025.

 

  • Caesarism and the Cultural Critique of the Masses in Victorian Thought, ‘The History of Philosophy Seminar’, Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of Jyväskylä, 22 October 2025.

 

  • Warring About Democracy, Culture and Science : Nineteenth-Century Lessons, ‘Democracy and War - A Philosophical Workshop with Martha C. Nussbaum’, Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, University of Helsinki, 6 June 2025.

 

  • Studying Early Modern European Absolutism and Democracy in Context, Department of History, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, NOVA University Lisbon (UNL), and supported by the Humanities Centre at UNL, 6 March 2025.

 

  • Intellectual Historians and Their Sources : More Questions than Answers, ‘Journée d’Etudes Transcrit Consacrée aux Sources’, Université Paris 8, 29 November 2024. 

 

  • What Did They Talk About When They Talked About Democracy ? Reflections on Early Modern Political Thought in England and Beyond, ‘Course Seminar Political and Intellectual History’, BA in Philosophy, International and Economic Studies, Department of Linguistic and Cultural Comparative Studies, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, 23 April 2024. 

 

  • The Intellectual Historian’s Workday : Dealing with Minor Authors, Reading Odd Sources and Talking About Things That Do Not Quite Exist. Some Thoughts on Methodology, ‘Course Seminar Political and Intellectual History’, BA in Philosophy, International and Economic Studies, Department of Linguistic and Cultural Comparative Studies, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, 22 April 2024. 

 

 

  • What Did They Talk About When They Talked About Democracy ? Reflections on Early Modern Political Thought in England, ‘Workshop/Webinar Writing the Long-Term History of Democracy’, University of Helsinki, 16 February 2024.

 

  • Studying Early Modern Democracy : Questions and (a Few) Answers, ‘Representative Democracy : Concepts, Languages and Institutions Workshop. PART I : The Early Modern Formative Period’, University of Exeter, 7 February 2024. 

 

  • The Democratic People and their Way of Life in Early Modern England and Beyond, ‘The 2023 North American Conference on British Studies Annual Meeting’, Baltimore, 10-12 November 2023.

 

  • Anti-democracy in Early Modern England. Understanding the Past and Pondering the Future, ‘Georgetown History Department’s Occasional Book Talks Series’, Georgetown University in Washington DC, 7 November 2023.

 

  • Anti-democracy and the "People" in Early Modern England and Beyond, ’History Workshop of the CEU Democracy Institute’, Central European University (Budapest), 20 October 2023.

 

  • Hobbes et l’anti-démocratie en Angleterre, ‘Séminaire Hobbes@Paris’, Centre d’histoire des philosophies modernes de la Sorbonne (HIPHIMO ER 1451), co-organised by EHESS-Paris I Sorbonne-Sciences Po Paris, 11 April 2023.

 

  • Democracy Versus Republicanism in the Early Modern Period and Beyond, ’Workshop on Algernon Sydney (1622/3-1683)’, University of Caen Normandy, 24-25 November 2022.

 

  • The New Historiography of Puritanism, Round Table, ‘Emergence and Transformations of Puritanism in England, 1559-1642 Conference’, University Paris Nanterre and Sorbonne University, with the participation of University of Rouen Normandy and Aix-Marseille University, 17-18 November 2022.

 

  • Lessons from the Past : Anti-Democracy in Early Modern England, ’The Stockholm History of Philosophy Seminar’, Department of Philosophy, Stockholm University, 28 October 2022.

 

  • The ’Caesarism’ of Early Modern Democracy, ’Conceptualising Political Leadership : Towards an Intellectual History of Caesarism Conference’, Moritz-Stern-Institut, University of Göttingen, 28-29 June 2022.

 

  • The Forgotten Location on the Intellectual History Map : Portray of the Sussex “non-School”, ‘From Cambridge to Bielefeld – and Back ? British and Continental Approaches to Intellectual History’, German Association for British Studies Annual Conference, Humboldt University of Berlin, 2-4 June 2022.

 

  • The Unexpected Vices of Democracy from Plato to Dewey via Early Modern England, ’Vice, Sin, and Sociability in Early Modern Moral and Political Philosophy Workshop, University of Jyväskylä, 11-12 April 2022.

 

  • Archaeologist, Coroner, Detective, Lawyer, Translator or What ? The (Intellectual) Historian, Cultural Criticism, Audiences and the Painterly Eye, ’History Research Seminar’, University of Helsinki, 28 February 2020.

 

  • Democracy in Early Modern England. A Challenge Then and a Challenge Now, ’Séminaire Franco-Britannique d’Histoire’, University Paris IV-Sorbonne, 17 Octobre 2019.

 

  • Democracy... What Democracy ? Which People ?, ’"They, the People". People, Popular Sovereignty and the Constitution of Illiberal Democracy Workshop’, Legal Studies Department, Central European University (Budapest), 24-25 May 2019.

 

  • Archaeologist, Critic, Detective, Eavesdropper, Judge or What ? The (Intellectual) Historian and the Public, ’Stefan Collini and Recent Developments in Intellectual History Workshop’, University of Helsinki, 23-24 May 2019.

 

  • The Horror of the Public Sphere in Early Modern England. Historical Analysis and Contemporary Lessons, ’PhD Seminar - The Public Sphere : History and Theory’, Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas, University of Oslo, 28-29 March 2019.

 

  • Crisis, Freedom of Speech and the Frenzy of Words in the 1640s in England. "Greetings" from the "World-Turned-Upside-Down", ’Early Modern Intellectual History Seminar’, Faculty of Economics, Fukuoka University, 20 March 2019.

 

  • Democracy... What Democracy ? Which People ? How to Study Democratic and Anti-Democratic Ideas in Early Modern England, ’Early Modern Intellectual History Seminar’, Faculties of Law and Economics, University of Kyoto, 17 March 2019.

 

  • The Intellectual Historian Facing Anti-Democracy in Early Modern England : Ideas in Context and Reflections on the Here and Now, Guest Lecture at the Annual EUI IHWG PhD Workshop, European University Institute (Florence), 22 February 2019.

 

  • Democracy in Crisis in the 1640s in England : The Ochlocratic Moment, ’Crisis and Renewal in the History of Political Thought’, European Society for the History of Political Thought Fifth International Conference, University of Heidelberg, 11-13 October 2018.

 

  • Isms in Historiography and the History of Isms, ’Helsinki Centre for Intellectual History Seminar’, University of Helsinki, 5 September 2018.

 

  • Anti-Democratic Voices in Early Modern England 1558-1642, ’Brown Bag Seminar’, Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, University of Helsinki, 24 April 2018.

 

  • What Do Historians of Political Ideas Do All Day ?... A Few (Loose) Suggestions on Method, Terminology and Writing, ’In Search for a Method : Cross-Disciplinary Approaches in Humanities and Social Sciences Seminar’, Faculty of History and Philosophy, University of Latvia, Riga, 1 March 2018.

 

  • Isms and The Writing of Intellectual History, ’The Research Group for the History of Political Thought and Economic Thought Seminar’, Institute of Culture and Society, Department of Philosophy and History of Ideas, Aarhus University, 21 February 2018.

 

  • We Need to Talk about Anti-Democracy, ’The Research Group for the History of Political and Economic Thought Seminar’, Institute of Culture and Society, Department of Philosophy and History of Ideas, Aarhus University, 21 February 2018.

 

  • Excluding the "Giddy Hydra-Heads" from the Body Politic : Democracy and the People in Early Modern England", ’Inclusion and Exclusion in the History of Ideas’, ’International Conference of the Helsinki Centre for Intellectual History’, University of Helsinki, 14-15 December 2017.

 

  • Intellectual Historians, Ism-Categories and the Messy Business of Doing History, ’Nathan and Jeanette Miller Center for Historical Studies’, History Department, University of Maryland, 5 December 2017.

 

  • The Spectre Haunting State and Church in Early Seventeenth-Century England : Democracy at its Worst, Workshop on ’Democracy and Anti-Democracy in Early Modern England 1603-1689’, Max-Weber-Kolleg, University of Erfurt (Germany), 18-19 July 2017.

 

  • The Ochlocratic Moment : Democracy and Crisis in the 1640s in England, History Department, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 17 March 2017.

 

  • Discussing Intellectual History in Theory and Practice, History Department, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 16 March 2017.

 

  • Crisis and Fear : Visions of Democracy in Early Modern England, ’Political Thought in Times of Crisis, 1640-1660’, Symposium Sponsored by the Folger Institute Center for the History of British Political Thought, Washington DC, 1-3 December 2016.

 

  • Popularity in Seventeenth-Century England : Making Sense of It, ’Workshop on Early-Modern Political Thought’, University of Helsinki, 1-2 September 2016.

 

Recent Public Lectures, Talks and Podcasts (Selected)

  • Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies Panel Progress in Science and Beyond - Why Tolerate Mistakes and Detours ?, ’Tieeten Paivat (The Science Forum)’, Helsinki, 10 January 2025.

 

 

  • Reflecting on Democracy and Its History : Lessons for the Present, Questions for the Future, ’Open Discussion’, Joutsa’s Main Library (Central Finland), 5 August 2024.

 

  • Podcast-Interview by Monika Wilczynska about Cesare Cuttica, Anti-democracy in England 1570-1642 (Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2022), ‘New Work in Intellectual History. Interviews with intellectual historians about recent research and new publications’, Institute of Intellectual History, University of St Andrews, 30 June 2022, https://intellectualhistory.net/new-work/anti-democracy-in-england-1570-1642?rq=cuttica 

 

 

  • Podcast-Interview by Monika Wilczynska and with Laszlo Kontler about Cesare Cuttica and Laszlo Kontler (eds), with Clara Maier, Crisis and Renewal in the History of European Political Thought (Leiden and Boston : Brill, 2021), ‘New Work in Intellectual History. Interviews with intellectual historians about recent research and new publications’, Institute of Intellectual History, University of St Andrews, 20 January 2022, https://intellectualhistory.net/new-work/crisis-and-renewal-in-the-history-of-european-political-thought

 

 

  • International Researcher’s Career Talk, ’Working Life Afternoon Discussion’, University of Helsinki, 29 November 2018.

 

  • Global Academia - Research Career Paths in Different Countries, ’Think Corner Public Discussion’, University of Helsinki, 13 March 2018.

 

  • Fighting the monstrous ‘many-headed multitude’ : anti-democracy in early modern England 1558-1642, Project Presentation, Science Fair - Tag der Forschung, University of Erfurt, 8 June 2017.
 
Other relevant academic activities
  • Member of the Helsinki Centre for Intellectual History, University of Helsinki, 2019-ongoing.

 

  • Member of the Editorial Board of Global Intellectual History, 2016-ongoing.

 

  • Peer reviewer for the international journals History of European Ideas, History of Political Thought and The English Historical Review, 2012-ongoing.

 

  • Online Seminars Organiser : Scholarly Publishing in the Anglophone Academic World. Tips, Dos-Dont’s and Questions with Prof. Martin Burke (CUNY) and Prof. Richard Whatmore (St Andrews), ELBOW ERC Project, University of Helsinki, 9 April 2026 and The "Dilemmas" of Early Career Scholarship : Funding Opportunities, Job Applications and International Mobility with Prof. Anna Becker (Aarhus), Prof. Rachel Hammersley (Newcastle) and Prof. Edward Vallance (Roehampton), ELBOW ERC Project, University of Helsinki, 7 May 2026. 

 

  • Conference Co-Organiser of Between Marginal & Mainstream : Negotiating Experimental Practices and Medical Knowledge, ELBOW Conference, University of Helsinki, 11-13 March 2026.

 

  • Invited Speaker, How to Write an ERC Application, ‘ERC Ideas : FBK Internal Call and Coaching Program’, Social Social & Humanities, Bruno Kessler Foundation, Trento, 25-26 September and 8-9 June 2026.

 

  • External Examiner of Doctoral Thesis : Bingshu Zhao, Doctor of Philosophy in Politics, Thesis’s Title : Bringing the Family back in Early Modern Political Thought : Bodin, Hobbes and Filmer, Department of Social and Political Science, Philosophy and Anthropology (SPSPA), Faculty of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, University of Exeter, 3 November 2025.

 

  • Panel Member for the European Research Council, Advanced Grant Evaluation, SH6, Brussels, 2024-2025.

 

  • Papers Commentator, Extending New Narratives. Education, Virtue, and Citizenship Workshop, University of Jyväskylä, 4-5 March 2024. 

 

  • Panel Member for the European Research Council, Advanced Grant Evaluation, SH6, Brussels, 2022-2023

 

  • Convenor for the BA International Exchange Programmes MICEFA and BCI, Université Paris 8, 2021-2023.

 

  • Chair of the Admission Committee Parcoursup, First Year BA Students, Joint Degree ’History-English’, Université Paris 8, 2020-2023.

 

  • Co-Convenor for the BA Joint Degree ’History-English’, Université Paris 8, 2020-2023.

 

  • Examiner for the Admission Committee Parcoursup, First Year BA Students, Joint Degree ’History-English’, Université Paris 8, 2019-2023.

 

 

  • Executive Committee Member of the European Society for the History of Political Thought, 2014-2022.

 

 

  • Workshop Organiser of Stefan Collini and Recent Developments in Intellectual History, University of Helsinki, 23-24 May 2019.

 

  • Vice-President of the European Society for the History of Political Thought, 2016-2018.

 

  • Conference Organiser of Crisis and Renewal in the History of Political Thought, European Society for the History of Political Thought Fifth International Conference, University of Heidelberg, 11-13 October 2018.

 

  • Book launch commentator on M. Jalava, S. Nygard and J. Strang (eds), Decentering European Intellectual Space (Leiden and Boston : Brill, 2018), ’Helsinki Centre for Intellectual History’, University of Helsinki, 5 October 2018.

 

  • Main Conference Organiser of Democracy and Anti-Democracy in Early Modern England 1603-1689, Max-Weber-Kolleg, University of Erfurt (Germany), 18-19 July 2017.

 

  • Conference Organiser of Constitutional Moments. Founding Myths, Charters and Constitutions through History, European Society for the History of Political Thought Fourth International Conference, University of Barcelona, 19-21 October 2016.

 

  • Course Coordinator for LEC 1, LEC2 and IEA (undergraduates), Université Paris 8, 2013-2016.

 

  • Examiner for CLES (Certificat de Compétences en Langues de l’Enseignement Supérieur), Université Paris 8, 2012.

 

  • Peer Reviewer for a ‘Research Networking Proposal in Intellectual History’ for the AHRC, August 2011.

 

  • Guest Speaker : Round Table, ‘Publishing the PhD and Beyond’, History Lab Plus, University of Sussex, 21 June 2011.

 

  • Main Conference Organiser of Absolutism, Monarchism and Despotism. Historiographical Issues and Theoretical Developments in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries in European Context, conference organised in collaboration with Professor Glenn Burgess (University of Hull) and with the Sussex Centre for Intellectual History, University of Sussex, 13-14 July 2010.

 

  • Visiting Scholar, Department of History and European Union Center of Excellence, University of Pittsburgh, 1 September 2008-30 November 2008.